"Soldiers first": Preparing the Canadian Army for twenty-first century peace operations

The Canadian Army has historically adopted a paradigm of preparing for peace operations by training and educating both soldiers and leaders to be capable of general-purpose combat. This paradigm of soldiers first has not been without its flaws, particularly when the security environment, the operational mandate, and mission preparation became unaligned. Consequently, as we move forward into the peace activities of the twenty-first century, where Canadian soldiers will be committed to operations in complex regions like Africa and the Middle East, it will be necessary to identify and institutionalize the lessons of the past in order to ensure that the model of soldiers first can be adapted to the varied challenges of the contemporary and future security environment through a holistic application of specialized training, leader education, and institutional support.